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OCR Rendition - approximate
Eugenics as a Creed and the Last Decade of Galton's Life 245 "Consulting Editor" after the names of yourself and Weldon as Editors do? Of other titles, "Referee" is almost the only one that occurs to me; probably you can suggest something. Of course a good-looking and well-printed title-page (not heavy-looking) is commercially helpful. About writing a short "sending off" paper I think I could manage one on "Biometry,"-on its general aspect and principles. I have nothing serious enough in the way of original inquiry to give. Please send me a couple of copies (by return of post) of the programme, that I may better understand what may remain to be said. I trust you will see your way to make a considerable part of the contents of the Journal intelligible to those scientific men who are not mathematicians. It ought to be attractive to medical men and such like; also to statisticians of the better kind. Short notices of original work abroad always attract. We stay here for a full week longer, I think,-and will leave address for letters that may arrive shortly after leaving. But 42, Rutland Gate will always find me in time. Very sincerely yours, FRANCIS GALTON. 7, WELL ROAD, HAMPSTEAD, N. W. A ii 27, 1901. MY DEAR MR GALTON, Your letter met me on my return home an hour ago. We have not any further programme printed at present than the circular I sent you some months ago of which I enclose two copies. Your letter made me very happy, partly because you so readily consented to my proposals as to editorship and giving us a " send off," partly because of the generally kind tone and sympathy it exhibited for our endeavours. As to your name as "Consulting Editor" and your proposed paper on the Aims of Biometry, these we may consider as settled, but I must consult Weldon before I reply fully as to your liberal offer. I think that he feels very much that you have done a great deal from the monetary side for biometry and that he would be unwilling to allow you to take so much of this burden on your shoulders. My view was to spread what I am unwilling until we have made trial to look upon as anything but a loss, over a number of guarantors, for I cannot carry my share of a moiety myself. But about all this I will write in a day or two when I have had an opportunity of considering the matter with Weldon. I don't propose to say what I personally feel about your readiness to aid, because it would be making into a personal kindness what I know is enthusiasm for the study of your life. I can only hope Biometrika will forward that, but it will have an uphill fight. Always yours sincerely, KARL PEARSON. 7, WELL ROAD, HAMPSTEAD, N.W. April 30, 1901. MY DEAR MR GALTON, I have considered the matter of the Biometrika guarantee fund with Weldon and his view is that we should as frankly accept your offered aid as it is frankly given. It places us in a position to survive for at least four years and I think if we can survive the risk of infantile mortality we shall live on. At any rate we shall do our best to make the thing run and supply what we are sure is a real need. We want to make the science into a really great organ of discovery. It is almost pitiable to see how good material is wasted. I was reading a few days ago a paper by an American on colonies of statoblasts in which he had measured the variability in the general population and in the fraternity or colony. He introduced what he called a coefficient of heredity = (variability in population - variability in fraternity) (variability in population), and found this to be what he called small. Then he went into long reasons why heredity should be small in a colony of statoblasts. I found on working from his own data that the fraternal correlation came out •44 or nearly exactly what it is for stature oy brothers in man, or for their eye colour or anything else ! In other words he had really demonstrated heredity in these lowly organisms to agree with its value in man and was yet searching about to show why it was so small! This is only one sample of dozens of like papers now being issued, and which must ultimately cast discredit on biometric processes, if we cannot indicate how these things ought to be worked out properly. Half the Editors' work will be to show authors gently how to use their own data! We will send you specimens of title-page as soon as we can. Also can you let us have your paper at a fairly early date-say before June 30 -so that we may not cover in any other part of the number the same sort of ground. Further any "Notes" that occur to you on possible biometric work, or notices of books or ideas you may come across, would be very welcome. Yours always sincerely, KARL PEARSON.
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